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Amber Foster Turnau

@amberturnau

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Uncovering beauty amidst the chaos.
📸✍️Storyteller
🌎Traveller
🌲West Coast girl
🏂Board sports slayer

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Spooky szn is here babe. 🎃 👻 🧙🏼

#supsquamish #squamishbc #seatosky by @amberturnau

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7 days ago

Marvellous Mount Assiniboine ✨ 🏔️ 60km hiked ➡️ A scenic heli ride in ➡️ A snowy hike out ➡️1 broken sleeping bag ➡️ 3 park permits in 2 provinces ➡️ All 4 seasons in 5 days, including 5cm of snow ➡️ Camper’s tea at North America’s oldest backcountry ski lodge, just 2 km from camp. ➡️ Another incredible solo mission for the memory palace.

The Canadian Rockies is THE place to be at this time of year and Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park in BC is an incredible base to watch winter descend upon the tallest mountains. September brings it all. Brush strokes of colour. The rainbow of straggling summer wildflowers add purple accents to the landscape. Auburn and gold alpine meadows. Turquoise lakes sparkling in the sunlight. A blanket of snow on the idyllic pointy peaks kicks off the countdown to winter, with squishy mud underfoot reminding that it’s not arrived yet. And, of course, bear poop to remind me that this is grizzly country. 😱

Another wonderful adventure under the weight of my backpack, with my wandering thoughts to guide the journey. This trip, aside from the glorious day-to-day simplicity of survival in the outdoors, I pondered something. It came to me as I was walking through grizzly country. A party of 3 hikers I passed a while earlier had told me they thought I was brave to hike through bear country solo. I had told them “I’m beginning to question my life choices.”

After gingerly stepping into an alpine pass known to have seen its share of human-bear conflicts, I began to blow my whistle occasionally and think through scenarios of bear encounters. What would I do? Would I be a bear attack newspaper headline? Then, I realized something profound. Although I was afraid, I realized that the bears (and nature itself) do not have it out for me. They are not there to intentionally harm.

My insight was this: Nature isn’t half as scary as the society we live in today. In fact, the rules of nature have always been there and, despite their mysteries to us humans, they are incredibly simple to navigate in comparison to life in 2026.

So, with that I trudged on. If I can survive modern life, I can survive bear country. And vice versa. We all can. ✌️ 💜 by @amberturnau

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a month ago

Alpine meadows in bloom. Great people. Cute pup. And a little summer slay with @nowplease and friends. ⛰️ 🌺 by @amberturnau

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2 months ago

I don’t normally do the whole talking head thing, but I really felt compelled today to say something. They say climate change will be a series of tragedies seen through social media and on camera... Until it reaches your doorstep. I say this as friends, colleagues, and family are impacted in some shape or form by wildfires this year, and the last, and the last year, and the one before that. This is about human health. Smoke-choked summers that destroy communities and livelihoods is not normal. Don’t normalize it. This is our health at risk. This is our future.
::
So, what can we do about it? Well, there’s plenty. It starts with accepting that, no matter how we got here, climate change is real. And it’s made worse by human-caused emissions. These are facts. Don’t blame arsonists or the MsM or the government. The fires are worse because of hot, dry conditions and more carbon in the atmosphere. You can see it with your own eyes. And feel it in your chest. Let’s start there. Look up. Don’t look away.

Wishing you health and wellbeing, wherever you are in the world. ✌️ by @amberturnau

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2 months ago

The beautiful game in a beautiful place. It’s great to feel joy and celebrate as one community in this very divided world we live in. There are a lot of nay sayers out there, but the truth is: we need positive things to cheer for and we need events that bring us together. What a treat to have the World Cup in my backyard. It’s been fun to see Vancouver shine at its best, hosting the world and celebrating our diversity. All teams have been well represented, whether folks came from afar or call B.C. home. Thank you to thousands of people who poured their heart into organizing this event, including folks at @fwc26vancouver and @supernaturalbc. As of today, all my teams are officially out, but the lighthearted spirit will live on. What a fun month of soccer.

@lauramercym @neil_of_metal @teejridesbikes @nowplease

#vancouverbc #worldcup by @amberturnau

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3 months ago

Life in a small Canadian town. 💜 ☀️ ⛰️

#exploresquamish #squamishbc #seatosky #howesound by @amberturnau

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3 months ago

South Vancouver Island is quickly becoming my new favourite! @neil_james_foster and I headed to Sooke with @lauramercym for the most delightful seaweed course with @dakinitidalwilds. We spent the day learning all about the 650 species of seaweed in the PNW and the 60 species of kelp we are lucky to have here. From hands-on harvesting tips to tastings and lessons about seaweed’s remarkable nutritional and environmental value, this little workshop is packed with great info.

TIPS BEYOND THE SEAWEED:
Stay: @oceansong_cottages
Dine: @stokedpizzeria , @wildmountaindinners, @shirley.delicious
Other things to do: surfing, beach hopping, hikes, paddles, and cozy cabin vibes.

#southvancouverisland #vancouverisland #sookebc #explorebc #seaweed by @amberturnau

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3 months ago

A little gem near home. 💎 🌲 🏔️

#explorebc #exploresquamish #seatosky taken in Sḵwxwú7mesh by @amberturnau

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3 months ago

Inhale. Exhale. It’s the weekend and this little bench in the middle of nowhere, with the birds and my bike, is just what I needed to feel like myself again. No emails. No deadlines. No messages. Just me and my friend, Mamma Nature. 💚 🚵🏻‍♀️

#exploresquamish #mountainbike #supernaturalbc #hellobc #beautifulseats taken in Sḵwxwú7mesh by @amberturnau

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4 months ago

Calm morning before I wrestle my brain to write for a deadline today. 🌊 🩵 by @amberturnau

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5 months ago

A few weeks ago, @lauramercym and I dove deep into the seaweed industry at the @pacificseaweedsummit. There were approximately 200 attendees from different parts of the value chain. From First Nations harvesters and business owners to scientists and academics working on restoration and research, to producers of everything from tech to building supplies to food. Everyone is working toward a future where we can preserve and protect wild kelp forests and develop new techniques for sustainable mariculture. Most importantly, the industry is coming together to shape a future that is equitable and sustainable for the long-term.

Key takeaways:

🌊 The seaweed industry is growing fast, and BC is in right there in the heart of it all. The Pacific Seaweed Industry Association and Canadian Seaweed Network are central to building a regional and national strategy for the sector from coast to coast to coast.

🌊 Climate change is a real concern that puts ocean ecosystems and livelihoods at risk. The warming waters and biodiversity loss have already done harm. But, dedicated teams are working tirelessly to find solutions and turn things around.

🌊 With the BC sector still in its early stages, there is an opportunity to move forward in a good way: one that is grounded in Indigenous laws for the planet that maintain a healthy balance and prevent us from over-consumption.

🌊 BC seaweed companies are SO interesting. From sound panels and insulation to pickles, cocktails, and fertilizer, small companies are making really innovative products right here.

🌊 Kelp can help! We can also think of seaweed as a nature-based solution to challenges like buffering shoreline erosion and flooding, filtering polluted water, and sequestering carbon.

🌊 Kelp is a completely regenerative resource, and one that we can harvest the entirety of. It is the ultimate circular economy rock star.

🌊 Follow my friend @rachel.ihuber ’s fantastic industry resource, @get_kelp, for everything you ever wanted to know about the industry - and more!

Thank you to the supporting partners of this great event: Wei Wai Kum First Nation, @heiltsukclimateaction, @northislandcollege, @pacificseaweedassociation taken in North Island College by @amberturnau

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5 months ago

A long weekend uncovering low tide life and soaking in the rhythms of the coast. From sea lions to Transient Bigg’s Killer Whales, urchins, abalone, and eagles, the waters of the Salish Sea are vibrant with life. Millions of living beings, big and small, living in their delicate balance, one that we gratefully witness and enjoy. And, with 16ft tides, the radiant canvas of sea life emerges with textures and brushstrokes only Mother Nature can dream up. Thank you for a fabulous adventure on the coast @blu_ex.machina 🩵 🌊 🏄‍♀️

📍 Incredibly grateful to the stewards, Tla’amin First Nation, whose home waters we paddled, lands we walked, and whose millennia-old clam beds we harvested from.

#sunshinecoastbc #explorebc #paddleboarding #standuppaddleboard taken in Sunshine Coast BC Canada by @amberturnau

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5 months ago